Malaysia's U Mobile has contracted Nokia to help the operator expand the delivery of mobile data services across the nation.
Under the three year agreement, U Mobile will deploy a Nokia Single RAN network at greenfield locations across Malaysia, as well as microwave and IP-based mobile transport technologies.
The deployment will enable U Mobile to end its reliance on RAN sharing agreements by extending its own footprint across Malaysia.
Both companies also plan to collaborate on a live 5G network trial later this year aimed at demonstrating enhanced mobile broadband capabilities, as well as 5G use cases such as VR streaming and e-sports.
"U Mobile has been aggressively expanding our network across Malaysia in our drive to bring our customers a superior experience. We are delighted to be able to leverage on Nokia's expertise in our network expansion journey,” U Mobile CTO Woon Ooi Yuen said.
“We are of course also looking forward to working with Nokia as part of our Road To 5G Strategy. We have in our plan to conduct several 5G live trials with Nokia later this year for various use cases. Currently, we already have in place Nokia's AirScale base stations which are 5G-ready and hence, ready for trials.''